Donal Hickey: Kerry bog walks —proof that locals make great custodians of natural heritage

Fresh air, great views, biodiversity habitats — but would the bogmen of old approve?

This way to the beautiful Kilcummin Bog Walks in County Kerry. Brochures are also available from the Rural Development Office and local Post Office. Picture: Kilcummin Rural Development

Time was when fellows seen walking around bogs were looked upon with some disdain. Hands in pockets, they strolled from turf bank to turf bank, looking for chat and even admiring the work being done by others: they were tolerated as a minor nuisance and distraction.

Harvesting turf called for all available labour, with young and old joining in. Now, however, there are far more people walking in, rather than working in, bogs. The bogmen we knew in days gone by wouldn’t be impressed, but attitudes to peatlands are changing.

The notion that the romantic, old bog road should become a walking trail is actively encouraged by the Government as part of its peatland conservation policy. A scheme announced by Heritage Minister Malcolm Noonan offers grants to local communities.

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The Community Engagement Scheme is managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and, as well as walks, a number of other projects are being supported. These include surveys with a view to bog restoration, visitor amenities, helping wildlife, information boards and signage, the publication of educational booklets and awareness programmes. Schools are also asked to take part.

Efforts to revitalise fens are also being assisted. Bogs and fens look very much alike, with an important difference being that fens have a steady supply of surface water.

One of the best examples of a fen can be found in Fenor Bog, near Tramore, County Waterford, where the local community has been doing tremendous conservation work for many years. Fens purify water, prevent flooding, store carbon and provide habitat for many species.

Projects that will benefit from the grants scheme can be found across the country, including Galway, Westmeath, Kildare, Offaly, Mayo, Kerry, Cavan, Monaghan and Dublin.

The rehabilitation project at Milltownpass Bog has been gdranted €16,000 funding from the National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) as part of their Peatlands Community Engagement scheme. 16 projects nationally were selected. This bog is currently being developed for a recreational woodland trail and bog boardwalk by the NPWS

For instance, the Milltownpass Tidy Towns Committee, in County Westmeath, is working on a recreational woodland trail and bog boardwalk. There are plans to purchase bat, bird and owl nesting sites and get the community more involved in promoting the bog as an amenity.

Minister Noonan, meanwhile, has confirmed that this year’s scheme will be open-ended and allow for the submission of new applications, enabling community groups and others to proceed with projects delayed due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kilcummin Rural Development: Signposts on the Bog Walk

A good example of what can be done in relation to bog walks is in the Kilcummin area, outside Killarney, County Kerry, where a rural development group has been to the fore. Proof, indeed, that local people can be custodians of their natural heritage.

We’re familiar with two, well-signed walks in the Kilcummin peatlands, which, in addition to healthy exercise in bracing, upland air, offer superb views of Killarney Lakes and the surrounding MacGillycuddy Reeks.